1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to card connectors, and more particularly to a multi-purpose card connector, which fits any of a variety of commercially available memory cards, and accepts only one card at a time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional memory card connector, for example, a card connector constructed according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,529 is compatible to three kinds of memory cards, i.e. multimedia card (MMC), secure digital (SD), and smart media (SM). The card connector includes two accommodation portions for receiving different kinds of cards with different external shapes and different contact pads to be inserted into the card connector from one and the same card insertion slot. A plurality of copper strips are provided inside the housing of the card connector for contacting contact pads of an inserted memory card, and are extended to a rear side of the card connector for connecting external circuit means.
The aforesaid prior art is not compatible to other specifications of memory cards, such as compact flash (CF) memory cards. If a card connector needs a CF card socket while installed in an applied apparatus, such as a digital camera, the CF card socket must be additionally installed to the card connector. However, because the card connector and the additionally installed CF card socket are two independent members combined together, an unexpected result may occur when a user carelessly inserts two different memory cards into the card connector and the CF card socket at the same time.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a multi-purpose card connector, which fits any of a variety of commercially available memory cards including MMC, SD, SM, and CF cards and, prohibits insertion of two cards at a time.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the multi-purpose card connector is composed of a housing, a plurality of contact pins, a plurality of lead wires, a front deck, a switching block, and a card receiving connector. The housing includes an open base frame, which is bonded with two PC boards at top and bottom sides thereof and is provided with two receiving open chambers defined between the open base frame and the two PC boards for accommodating different cards. Each of the PC boards has a circuit pattern and a plurality of slots. Each of the contact pins has an end connected to circuits of the PC boards and is partially received in the slots of the PC boards. The lead wires are symmetrically positioned at two sides of the housing and are electrically connected to the circuits of the PC boards. An opening is positioned at a front end of one PC board, which is positioned above the other. The front deck is mounted on the PC board above the other and at a front end of the opening of the PC board at a top side of the open base frame. The switching block has a pivot shaft fastened pivotally with the front deck, and first and second extension portions extending from a periphery of the pivot shaft and relatively arranged at a predetermined angle and pivotally moving in and out of the opening. The card receiving connector is mounted on the PC board above the other and at a rear side of the front deck. The card receiving connector includes a transversely extending, narrow, elongated base and two longitudinal side arms arranged in parallel at two ends of the base. The base of the card receiving connector is provided with a plurality of contact pikes, each of which has an end connecting to the circuits of the PC board.